March 19, 2014FrontpageComments Off on Are Atheism And Conservatism Compatible?

By JAMES K. FITZPATRICK It was no surprise that there was considerable give-and-take in the comments section that followed Charles C.W. Cooke’s column in the online edition of National Review on February 26. Cooke, a graduate of Oxford and staff writer at National Review, argued that Brent Bozell, the director of the conservative watchdog group the Media Research Center, was gravely wrong when he criticized the Conservative Political Action Conference for inviting a group called the American Atheists to participate in its annual gathering in Washington in March. Bozell had written that the invitation to the atheist group was “an attack on conservative principles” and “an attack on God Himself. American Atheists is an organization devoted to hatred of God.”

March 18, 2014FrontpageComments Off on S.F. Catholic Radio Host . . . Confronts Moral Topics And Lauds The Wanderer

By DEXTER DUGGAN Radio talk host Barbara Simpson had a copy of The Wanderer up on the glass window between her San Francisco studio and the adjoining control room when I stopped by KSFO in January to report on the day’s pro-life Walk for Life West Coast, which marched down nearby Market Street. From its 11th-floor location, “Hot Talk KSFO” (560 AM) is a neighbor to the city’s financial district — where the iconic Transamerica Pyramid building looms — and about a 25-minute walk from the Ferry Building on San Francisco Bay. Simpson repeatedly lauded The Wanderer on the air, mentioning that a listener introduced her to the paper, which she hadn’t known about, with a gift subscription years ago.

March 17, 2014FrontpageComments Off on After A Light Went On In His Head . . . Pastor Decided To Change Lighting Style

By DEXTER DUGGAN PHOENIX — Various versions of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass may be offered legitimately in Catholic churches. The variations include the use of different languages. But how often does one think they also could use different lumens? No, a lumen isn’t in the same etymological league as “catechumen,” although a ceremony for catechumens would necessarily involve lumens. Lumen, says “vocabulary.com,” means “a basic unit for measuring brightness, just as the gram is a basic unit for measuring mass. A typical light bulb in your home might produce about 1,000 lumens. Lumen is related to the word luminous, which means ‘bright’ or ‘radiant’.” The pastor of a large Phoenix Catholic church, St. Thomas the Apostle, tried out…Continue Reading

March 16, 2014FrontpageComments Off on Henry George: A Neglected Economist

By JOHN YOUNG American economist Henry George (1839-1897) is best known for his site rent philosophy — the so-called “single tax.” He argued that land values arising from society and natural advantages should be the source of government revenue, instead of taxing the money that people earn by labor or investment. I have written about that on various occasions, but in this article I want to sketch other parts of his thought, aspects that are often neglected when he is discussed. Not that we hear much about him today, which is regrettable; although organizations promoting his land philosophy are active in many countries, including the United States. In the late 19th century and the early 20th century, his views were…Continue Reading

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN Though Barack Obama is widely regarded as a weak president, is the new world disorder really all his fault? Listening to the more vocal voices of the GOP one might think so. According to Sen. Lindsey Graham, Vladimir Putin’s move into Crimea “started with Benghazi.” “When you kill Americans and nobody pays a price, you invite this type of aggression,” said Graham. Putin “came to the conclusion after Benghazi, Syria, Egypt” that Barack Obama is “a weak indecisive leader.” Also blaming Obama for Crimea, John McCain got cheers at AIPAC by charging, “This is the ultimate result of a feckless foreign policy in which nobody believes in America’s strength anymore.” This “blatant act” of aggression “cannot…Continue Reading

March 14, 2014FrontpageComments Off on A Rivalry Of Government Hackers

By ANDREW P. NAPOLITANO The government is caught up in another scandal in which federal agents have been accused of hacking into one another’s computers. When the CIA was established in 1947, Congress and President Truman were concerned that it might not confine itself to spying. Its sole statutory purpose was to steal secrets from foreign governments so that the U.S. would know what they were planning and could prepare for any behavior adverse to American government interests. By its nature, it was operating in secret, and because it lacked transparency, it lacked accountability. One of the statutory mechanisms to achieve accountability was to require the CIA to report to two committees of Congress, but in secret. Over the years,…Continue Reading

March 13, 2014FrontpageComments Off on A Book Review . . . The Heart Of The Romantic

By MITCHELL KALPAKGIAN The Romance of Religion. By Dwight Longenecker (W Publishing Group: An Imprint of Thomas Nelson: Nashville, Tenn., 2014, 221 pp.). $15.99. Available through SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com or www.amazon.com. This is a lively, robust book that is as profoundly serious as it is lighthearted and mirthful. In short, crisp sentences that ring with a cheerful human voice and a playful, witty intelligence, Fr. Dwight Longenecker glances at the human condition, the classics of literature, and the familiar stories of the Bible with a human wisdom that engages and fascinates as it explains the importance of religion as a “romance,” a term rarely attributed to this body of knowledge that is commonly viewed with only high seriousness and solemn piety.

March 12, 2014FrontpageComments Off on A Leaven In The World… Ubi Petrus, Ibi Ecclesia

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK “Where the Pope is, there is the Church.” One of the reasons why this Latin adage has remained in use is that it addresses in a succinct manner a perennial struggle experienced by faithful Catholics everywhere. Human criticism of the actions of a Pope goes all the way back to St. Paul as recorded in the Scriptures. Even Christ Himself took St. Peter, the first Pope, to the woodshed over his threefold denial of the Lord in the aftermath of the crucifixion. Struggling with the human foibles and styles of the men who accept the office of Vicar of Christ on Earth is therefore not new and one of the crosses each Pope must carry…Continue Reading

March 11, 2014FrontpageComments Off on The Catholic Church And Scripture Reading

By JOHN YOUNG I heard a priest declare in a homily that in the days before Vatican II that Scripture reading was a “no-no” for Catholics. Other Catholics, whether clerical or lay, while not going that far, believe that the Church before Vatican II didn’t encourage lay people to read the Bible. Frank Sheed, in his book The Church and I, published in 1974, states that even the committed laity, before the Second Vatican Council, “…saw theology as all-sufficient, Scripture as a quarry from which we could dig out supporting texts” (p. 288). According to Sheed, Catholics in general simply didn’t appreciate Scripture as something that should permeate their lives and vitalize their theology.

By PEGGY MOEN I saw the Son of God movie on March 9, after its opening weekend with a second-place box office rank. Its strongest point is its portrayal of the intrigue and politics leading up to the Passion. The cowardice of Caiaphas in the face of Pilate’s threats and brutality, and then Pilate’s fear of Caesar, are well scripted and well acted. Judas delivers the immortal line “What’s in it for me?” when Caiaphas approaches him to betray Jesus. Also strong is the movie’s beginning and ending with a monologue by St. John the Evangelist, setting forth salvation history through the Word at the beginning, and the martyrdom of all the apostles except John…Continue Reading